Join Us for Tap Into Your Creative Side - Nov. 7

In the PR industry, we are always looking for ways to stand out in a saturated market. This month, YP will be hosting a creative workshop to learn how to do exactly that. Our speakers will offer tips on how to bring out our own personal creativity and teach us the art of hosting a creative brainstorm. Don't miss this unique opportunity, and as an added incentive, YP will be raffling off five free memberships for 2008!

November 7, 2007 - 6:00-6:30 P.M.
- 6:30 - Networking
- 7:30 - Program

The Rogers Group
1875 Century Park East
Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90067
The Rogers Group's Website

Brenda Lynch joined The Rogers Group as a senior vice president, heading up the Consumer Marketing Group, working with Bandai America, Whyville.net, Move, Inc., the Kellogg Company and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. In addition to her award-winning marketing work, Brenda has provided extensive media coaching and training to several top-tier companies. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Program at Annenberg School for Communications at USC, teaching integrated marketing and crisis communications.

Rose Maciejewski is senior vice president and leader of the Ruder Finn West Technology Practice, where she develops and oversees award- winning communications initiatives that increase the visibility of consumer technology companies. Rose is an expert in creating multi-faceted communications campaigns that resonate with consumers. She currently works with SupportSoft, a tech support service; Autobytel, the first online automotive marketplace; StubHub, the largest online ticket marketplace in the world; and Voce, the premium wireless services provider.

Parking: Enter the Watt Plaza Garage on Century Park East. Please bring your ticket with you for parking validation.

Cost (pay by cash or checks at the door): $10 YP Members; $15 for Non- members; $5 for PRSSA Members

RSVP: To RSVP, please email yp_prsala@yahoo.com by Monday, November 5th. If you have any questions, please contact Phyllis Hu at phu@iwgroupinc.com or Bonnie Berkes at berkesb@RuderFinn.com.

In Case you Missed It: September Meeting Photos

In Case You Missed It: May Meeting Recap

On May 16, Weber-Shandwick hosted the Meet the Press Part 2: Broadcast Media meeting. The panel included Playboy Radio associate producer and booker, Melissa Winter; KABC Automotive Reporter, Dave Kunz and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno segment producer, Steve Kozak. Below are their Do's and Don'ts when pitching broadcast media:

DO:

• Include a celebrity tie-in to your pitch when possible.
• Send creative mail! They personally enjoy getting something traditional and a little out-of-the-ordinary
• Be brief in e-mails and on the phone
• If one journalist is interested in your pitch, be honest about other journalists within their outlet you are pitching. They don't want to inadvertently work on the same story.

DON'T:

• Make your e-mail subject line too long
• Use informal language when you speak with the journalist, such as "Wuz up?"
• Offer an exclusive interview, but not honor the agreement

In Case You Missed It: April Meeting Recap

On April 18, GolinHarris hosted the Meet the Press Part 1: Print meeting. LA Times staff writer Jean Guccione and Randy Hagihara, senior editor for recruitment, spoke briefly on their personal experiences as journalists and then opened the floor to an informative question and answer session. Below are some of the words of wisdom they shared with the group of over 20 young professionals.

Some things you may already know…

• Keep press releases short but make sure to include all the important information. (Make it as easy as possible for the reporter to cover your story or event)
• Don’t assume reporters always check their email. Call to follow-up.
• When you do call, remember that most reporters are on deadline after 3 p.m. (Try and catch them mid-morning)
• When pitching event attendance, make sure to give a few weeks notice and then follow-up with a reminder closer to the event.
• Always be accessible. Journalists are more likely to start going to you for information if they know you are a reliable resource.

…and some things maybe you didn’t...

• Pitch the morning editor for a better chance of getting placement.
• It’s ok to pitch the same story to more than one reporter as long as you are honest and upfront about it.
• Try pitching a newspapers blog. Your story may not fit into the paper but could be featured in a blog post.
• Sometimes stories in smaller publications get the attention of the bigger papers.
• Too much information to fit in your release? Set up a mini-site that can include pictures, graphics and other details.

What advice can you offer? Post your comments and share your wisdom.

April Meeting: Meet the Press Part 1: Extra, Extra! Pitching the LA Times

This month, join YP as we explore the secrets behind the perfect pitch and how to capture the attention of print media. Reporters from the LA Times will be sharing their thoughts on pitches and how PR professionals can adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the news industry.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007
6:00 – 6:30 P.M. – Networking
6:30 – 7:30 P.M. - Program

GolinHarris
601 W. Fifth St., Fourth Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
GolinHarris’s Website

Jean Guccione joined the Los Angeles Times as a staff writer in 2000. She has written about the Blake murder trial and the clergy sexual abuse scandal. She currently covers transportation. Before joining he Times, Guccione worked as a staff writer for the Los Angeles Daily Journal, the state's legal newspaper, and was an assistant bureau chief at the Times-Picayune in her hometown of New Orleans. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Randy Hagihara is senior editor for recruitment and director of the summer internship program at the Los Angeles Times. He has worked at a number of other California newspapers, including the San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune and the Peninsula Times Tribune in Palo Alto. A native of Los Angeles, he attended Cal State Northridge and Los Angeles Trade Technical College.

Parking:
Parking is readily available at the Pershing Square parking structure on Olive Street, between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Cost is $6 after 6 p.m. for parking.

Building Access:
Exit Pershing Square parking structure through the Olive Street exit. Go toward 5th Street, turn left and walk uphill until you get to Grand. You will see the Mellon Bank Building on the opposite corner and that is your destination.

Check-in at the security desk in the main lobby and ask them to buzz you up to the third floor for the YP meeting at GolinHarris.

Cost (pay by cash or check at the door)
$10 for YP Members; $15 for Non-members; $5 for PRSSA Members

RSVP:
To RSVP, please reply to this email by Monday, April 16. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Phyllis Hu at phu@iwgroupinc.com or Bonnie Berkes at bberkes@jmprpublicrelations.com.

We hope to see you there!

Phyllis Hu & Bonnie Berkes
Program Co-Chairs, PRSA LA’s Young Professionals

In Case You Missed It: March Meeting Recap

Breaking News - Effectively Using Emerging Media

Over twenty young professionals attended the March 21 meeting at MWW Group, which focused on how to integrate new media into PR campaigns. The expert panelists defined the most popular forms of new media, shared their experiences on how to effectively use each medium and discussed the future of new media in the PR industry.

Jennifer Dekel of Schwartzman Public Relations agency presented an introductory overview of new media being used by PR professionals:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – The process of making Web pages readable to search engines and emphasizing key topics within Web pages. Example: A Southwest Airlines press release distributed via a wire service included three phrases throughout the release, such as “discount air fares.” This increased the likelihood of the press release appearing at the top of Google and other search engines when consumers entered “discount air fares.”
• RSS Feeds – Subscription-based “feeds” (distribution or syndication) of Web content, such as news headlines and podcasts, from an online publisher to Web users. Example: The RSS feed used for one of Jennifer’s client’s podcast was used by The Hollywood Reporter Web site. Visitors to that website could click on the link to listen to the podcast.
• Social Bookmarking Web sites – Sites in which people can store, classify, share and search links. Example: Popular social bookmarking sites include Del.icio.us, and Digg.
• Blogs – A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links. The three most popular blogs currently are Engadget.net, BoingBoing.net and Gizmodo.com. Each has more unique visitors than USA Today and Wall Street Journal.
• Mobile Marketing - Marketing on or with a mobile device, such as a mobile phone.

Mike Hudson of JMPR and Michael Ball of IPG Emerging Media Lab offered other practical tips on how new media can attract consumers to your company or brand:

• Creating a company blog is great for creating buzz about your company. For example, several corporations have successfully maintained a blog designed for their CEO's messages.
• Your PR team needs to align with a top blog that focuses on your industry. Form relationships with the top bloggers and keep them informed, offer an exclusive interview or consider becoming a sponsor of the Web site.
• Always remember that successful online PR campaigns invite consumers to participate. For example, Nike used mobile marketing to send text messages to Brooklyn young adults to invite them to join a scavenger hunt. Participants had to follow instructions then text back to find out their next destination.
• Your company’s messages on the Web space should reflect its messages in the marketplace.

In Case You Missed It: February Meeting Recap

Media Myths & Realities: A Comprehensive Media-Usage Survey

The first official YP meeting of the year took place on February 21st at Ketchum and explored an important question PR professionals have been asking recently: is traditional media dead? Media experts Jerry Swerling, USC Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Public Relations Studies, and Sean Fitzgerald, partner and managing director of Ketchum’s California offices, discussed the realities of consumer media usage today using a study USC Annenberg School for Communication and Ketchum released in December. The study found that traditional media is not dead, debunked other communications myths, discussed how consumers are using media to fit their needs and provided tips for PR practitioners to better reach their target audiences. Here are the ten key learnings of the study:

1. All Media is Local and Personal
Consumers rely heavily on their local newspapers and TV news because they widely believe these sources are credible.

2. The Human Channel is Critical - Especially Word of Mouth
Advice from family and friends is used by nearly half (43.7%) of consumers and they rank this group's credibility high. This is the reason social networking websites are popular.

Practical Tip: Since word-of-mouth influence ranks high among consumers, PR campaigns should consider avenues for developing programs that influence – whether through grass-roots marketing, free product samples and coupons, or other approaches.

3. Consumers Use a Multi Channel Approach
Traditional media continues to be used by a majority of consumers as they are also trying emerging new media.

4. Media Use is Generational
Not surprisingly, younger consumers are more well rounded when it comes to media use. However, older consumers still regularly rely on traditional media.

Practical Tip: Practitioners must be mindful of the media interests of the age groups they are communicating to since their interests vary. Specific “age group specialists” may become an industry trend.

5. Corporate Communicators Rely Too Heavily On Their Company Websites
Consumers report low usage of company's websites for information, ranging from 7 to 22 percent, depending on what type of information they seek.

6. Corporate Communicators Should Use All Media When Spreading Their Message
Consumers are looking more toward a mix of traditional media and in some cases news Web sites to get information. Young adults seek instant news.

7. Timing Matters – Corporate Communicators Must Place Consumers’ Needs Ahead of Company Schedules
Consumers reported that "back to school" time was the number one time they seek out information.

8. Celebrities Should Be Used Strategically and Cautiously
Celebrity endorsement doesn’t rank very high among consumers (13.8%) as a direct influence and has low credibility.

9. Influencers Devour All Media All The Time
Influencers are society’s informational editors and “multi-media-minders."

10. Influencers Adopt New Media Earliest
Compared to other consumer groups, influencers are more influenced by new media and tend to be early adopters to these new communications channels.

Your Responses to the Topic
What key learning do you most agree with? Are you incorporating this insight into your communication plans?

January Mixer

YP kicked off the year with a mixer at El Cholo in Santa Monica. More than 30 young professionals met to share tacos, margaritas and unwind from a day of work.